In January, I decided that my New Year's resolution would consist of reading 52 books in 52 weeks. Although the notion of reading a book a week seemed daunting at first, it eventually became rather comforting. In fact, overtime, I felt somewhat figety or naked without a book in my hand. As of today, I have surpassed my ambitious expectations by reading 58 books in 52 weeks.
Throughout our distressing year in rather volatile political circumstances, I have traveled to several different asteroids, the Pacific Crest Trail, and Hogwarts. I have entered the minds of writers who have succumbed to loss but also secured victory. I was there to share these moments both fictional and real with an ever growing sense of empathy.
I would highly recommend this triumphant challenge to you dear reader, whoever you may be. Regardless of where you are in life, I truly believe that you can benefit greatly from this pleasurable task. With that said, here is my comprehensive (and glorious) list of all of the books I have consumed in the last 52 weeks:
1. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
For lovers of: sunsets, loneliness and philosophy
2. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell
For lovers of: mind reeling non-fiction
3. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail - Cheryl Strayed
For lovers of: Jon Krakauer, bucket lists and new beginnings
4. Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn
For lovers of: Gone Girl, beach reads
5. Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison
For lovers of: Africana critical theory
6. The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch
For lovers of: Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays With Morrie"
7. Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris
For lovers of: humorous essays featuring redneck families, early speech therapy fiascos, and living abroad in France
8. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
For lovers of: spiritual magical realism
9. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
For lovers of: Downton Abby, the emotionally repressed
10. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
For lovers of: absurd but strangely engaging love stories
11. Modern Romance - Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg
For lovers of: sociology, witty celebrity memoirs and self help books
12. White Teeth - Zadie Smith
For lovers of: a solid debut novel
13. The Death of Ivan Iiyich - Leo Tolstoy
For lovers of: compelling deathbed reads
14. The Girl On The Train - Paula Hawkins
For lovers of: campy page turners
15. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
For lovers of: classic mental asylum novels
16. Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg
For lovers of: career-driven self help books....for the laaaaadies
17. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: boarding schools, wizardry and quadditch
18. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates - Wes Moore
For lovers of: nature vs nurture
19. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
For lovers of: the movie "Apocalypse Now"
20. What the Dog Saw - Malcolm Gladwell
For lovers of: both The New Yorker and Malcolm Gladwell
21. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
For lovers of: Jane Austen, PBS and tea time
22. The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Thornton Wilder
For lovers of: divine intervention, historical fiction
23. Dark Places - Gillian Flynn
For lovers of: rural mysteries, female psychological protagonists
24. Gilead - Marilynne Robinson
For lovers of: Non-preachy religious literary fiction
25. The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien
For lovers of: Books that blur the lines between fiction and memoir
26. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: house elves and enchanted car rides
27. The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion
For lovers of: marriage and honest memoirs dealing with loss
28. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: Hogsmeade, Firebolts and butter beer
29. Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
For lovers of: novels that are simultaneously unsettling and serene
30. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: world cups, playful gnomes and reliving those awkward awkward days of adolescence
31. Everyman - Phillip Roth
For lovers of: existential crisises
32. The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis
For lovers of: children's fantasy literature
33. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: freedom of speech and endurance
34. Portnoy's Complaint - Phillip Roth
For lovers of: edgy 1960's coming of age novels
35. The Last Tycoon - F. Scott Fitzgerald
For lovers of: show biz romance novels
36. Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Prince - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: slightly more mature elements in their children's literature
37. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
For lovers of: video game dystopian novels
38. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
For lovers of: common knowledge
39. I Hunt Killers - Barry Lyga
For lovers of: pulp(ish) young adult fiction
40. Designing Your Life - Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
For lovers of: career-driven self help books....for anyone who hasn't found their calling
41. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: Snape, good vs. evil, a fulfilling climax to a long-awaited conclusion
42. Funny Girl - Nick Hornby
For lovers of: man-boy fiction...for women
43. Winter's Bone - Daniel Woodrell
For lovers of: cold, cold 'country noir.'
44. The Fall - Albert Camus
For lovers of: existential 'what does it all mean' late night reads
45. DJ Shadow's Endtroducing (33 1/3) - Eliot Wilder
For lovers of: the album none other than 'Endtroducing'
46. Girl in a Band - Kim Gordon
For lovers of: women who rock
47. Maus - Art Spiegalman
For lovers of: comic book memoirs for history buffs
48. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgress
For lovers of: droogs, pol, dratsing, oh and free will
49. Franny and Zooey - J.D. Salinger
For lovers of: precocious family narratives
50. Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides
For lovers of: mesmerizing but haunting literary fiction
51. Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton
For lovers of: tragic novellas
52. Navel Gazing - Michael Ian Black
For lovers of: (anyone who enjoys complaining about aging)
53. One More Thing - B.J. Novak
For lovers of: comedic short stories
54. White Noise - Don DeLillo
For lovers of: contemporary(ish) satire
55. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
For lovers of: the arts and the fountain of youth
56. Ghost World - Daniel Clowes
For lovers of: graphic novels directed towards prototype hipsters
57. The Marriage Plot - Jeffrey Eugenides
For lovers of: NPR, Whit Stillman and love triangles
58. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
For lovers of: logic and whimsy
See also:
Books Read in 2014
Books Read in 2015
For lovers of: world cups, playful gnomes and reliving those awkward awkward days of adolescence
31. Everyman - Phillip Roth
For lovers of: existential crisises
32. The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis
For lovers of: children's fantasy literature
33. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: freedom of speech and endurance
34. Portnoy's Complaint - Phillip Roth
For lovers of: edgy 1960's coming of age novels
35. The Last Tycoon - F. Scott Fitzgerald
For lovers of: show biz romance novels
36. Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Prince - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: slightly more mature elements in their children's literature
37. Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
For lovers of: video game dystopian novels
38. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
For lovers of: common knowledge
39. I Hunt Killers - Barry Lyga
For lovers of: pulp(ish) young adult fiction
40. Designing Your Life - Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
For lovers of: career-driven self help books....for anyone who hasn't found their calling
41. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: Snape, good vs. evil, a fulfilling climax to a long-awaited conclusion
42. Funny Girl - Nick Hornby
For lovers of: man-boy fiction...for women
43. Winter's Bone - Daniel Woodrell
For lovers of: cold, cold 'country noir.'
44. The Fall - Albert Camus
For lovers of: existential 'what does it all mean' late night reads
45. DJ Shadow's Endtroducing (33 1/3) - Eliot Wilder
For lovers of: the album none other than 'Endtroducing'
46. Girl in a Band - Kim Gordon
For lovers of: women who rock
47. Maus - Art Spiegalman
For lovers of: comic book memoirs for history buffs
48. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgress
For lovers of: droogs, pol, dratsing, oh and free will
49. Franny and Zooey - J.D. Salinger
For lovers of: precocious family narratives
50. Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides
For lovers of: mesmerizing but haunting literary fiction
51. Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton
For lovers of: tragic novellas
52. Navel Gazing - Michael Ian Black
For lovers of: (anyone who enjoys complaining about aging)
53. One More Thing - B.J. Novak
For lovers of: comedic short stories
54. White Noise - Don DeLillo
For lovers of: contemporary(ish) satire
55. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
For lovers of: the arts and the fountain of youth
56. Ghost World - Daniel Clowes
For lovers of: graphic novels directed towards prototype hipsters
57. The Marriage Plot - Jeffrey Eugenides
For lovers of: NPR, Whit Stillman and love triangles
58. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
For lovers of: logic and whimsy
See also:
Books Read in 2014
Books Read in 2015
Which books did you read this year?
